Finland joins new European space race with eyes on Earth
As the European Union pushes for more autonomy in space, Finland is joining its Nordic NATO allies in tackling security threats and environmental changes – all from space.
Finland’s ICEYE and Kuva Space leading in Earth observation
Tero Vauraste, a senior adviser to both ICEYE and Kuva Space, explains that the two companies are not competitors and how their technologies complement each other. ICEYE’s miniature synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been developed to detect and measure changes in Earth’s surface formation. This could be looking at anything from shifting sea ice to moving ships, and the technology can work even in darkness or severe weather conditions. It’s not taking pictures but works by sending radio waves to the Earth’s surface while a satellite tracks how long they take to return and where they are on the wave.
In contrast, Kuva Space’s hyperspectral imaging provides information about what a target is made of and the changes it undergoes. It does this by collecting hundreds of narrow light bands that reveal the unique spectral signature of the target that ordinary cameras or radar can’t detect. In practice, that means hyperspectral imaging can distinguish, for example, between different types of algae species, spot whether an aircraft on the ground is metal or just a wooden decoy, and detect whether camouflage nets might be concealing equipment underneath. “Put together, these two technologies give you a far more complete picture of what’s happening on the ground,” Vauraste says.
While ICEYE has already pioneered Europe’s first miniaturised SAR constellations, Kuva Space is now scaling up hyperspectral. The company launched its first two commercial microsatellites (Hyperfield-1) in 2024 and 2025, and plans to grow that into a 100-satellite constellation by the end of 2030.
“That kind of ramp-up is extraordinary,” Vauraste asserts. “It means constant global coverage for near real-time insights, and for Europe, it will bring a whole new layer of intelligence alongside radar.”
Fitting into the Nordic space puzzle
In the broader Nordic space context, Vauraste points out that each of Finland’s neighbors has been finding its own niche. Sweden is developing launch capabilities with companies like AAC Clyde Space, which builds nanosatellites. Norway is investing in both launch capacity, with the new Andøya Spaceport preparing for its first orbital launches, and satellite services, with Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), operating the world’s largest polar ground station network out of Svalbard. Denmark, for its part, has carved out a name in nanosatellites and data solutions, led by firms such as GomSpace. And Finland’s strength is clearly in end-to-end Earth observation solutions, from satellites to intelligence, with ICEYE and Kuva Space at the forefront.
What unites the Nordics is their geography: satellites in polar orbit circle the Earth from pole to pole, which means they fly over the Arctic with every orbit. This makes the far north an ideal place to launch rockets, track satellites, and collect their data.
Why Europe is racing for space autonomy
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, strategic autonomy in space shifted from ambition to urgent necessity for the European Union. The war itself began with a crippling Russian cyberattack on Viasat, a U.S. satellite communications provider operating in Ukraine—and underscored how vulnerable Europe was to disruptions beyond its control.
Russia’s aggression also exposed Europe’s reliance on U.S. intelligence and the need for independent capabilities, including space-based surveillance. Not long after in March 2022, the EU’s Strategic Compass was adopted, marking the shift, and new initiatives like “Readiness 2030” are mobilizing funds of up to €800 billion to bolster Europe’s defence systems, in space and on the ground.
Integrating with the European Space Agency
ICEYE is already plugging into Copernicus, the European Union’s flagship Earth-observation programme, supplying imagery that feeds into environmental monitoring and defense services, while Kuva Space is in negotiations to begin doing the same. Funding has been critical for this acceleration. ICEYE’s €250 million investment programme, announced in June 2025, was backed by €41.1 million from Finnish state backed Business Finland – one of the largest decisions in the agency’s history. Kuva Space, meanwhile, has secured EU support through Horizon, alongside various investors and venture capitalists as well as Business Finland.
For Europe, developing these capabilities at home isn’t just about technology but about autonomy. And with ICEYE and Kuva Space scaling fast, Varauste says: “You could say this is about Europe standing on its own feet, and Finland helping show the way.”
